Saturday, May 27, 2017

Paxil in the News Again - Seven Deaths

It's a rare occasion when I can sit down on weekends and relax. Two news stories that I wish to share with you today can't really wait until Monday. A third, is a news story from 1998 that collectively ties in.

First off, GlaxoSmithKline, the company who had their arses kicked in Chicago back in April this year, have now decided to, once again, put Wendy Dolin and her family through the mill. Not content with the jury's decision, that ruled Paxil (also known as Seroxat) and GSK responsible for the death of Wendy's husband, Stewart, they have now filed a motion for a new trial citing, amongst many things, the trial "was not fair" and that Wendy "did not meet her burden at trial to prove her failure-to-warn claim and her allegation that generic paroxetine caused Stewart Dolin to take his own life."

Furthermore, GSK, just as they did at trial, are blaming Stewart's doctor for prescribing Paxil and also the FDA for apparently refusing to update the suicide warning on Paxil.

GSK are also, it appears, blaming the judge for not properly instructing the jury.

The motions states, "In contrast, the Court denied GSK a fair opportunity to cross-examine Plaintiff’s experts for bias and to present relevant evidence. In addition, Plaintiff had the final word at trial with expert testimony that went far beyond any proper “rebuttal.” These many errors resulted in extraordinary prejudice to GSK, jury confusion, and ultimately a verdict unsupported by the weight of the evidence. A new trial is required."

It was expected that GSK appeal the decision, let's face it, their highly paid law team of King & Spalding defend Paxil cases by the dozen and, even when settling or losing, they always claim that "Paxil has benefited millions of people worldwide", or words to that effect.

If GSK get the green light for a new trial it will mean further distress for Wendy Dolin and her family. More subpoenas, more questioning, more mud-slinging.

King & Spalding lost the case because a jury of men and women ruled against them. To save face, and to show GSK how they lost because it was an unfair trial, Messrs Bayman & Davis (King & Spalding) wish to bring their circus to town once more.

Stewart Dolin jumped to his death after Paxil induced akathisia, a condition that GSK, and other pharmaceutical companies, have played down for years.

I'll keep you updated on developments.

PAXIL - Death two & three

Back in 2011, 29-year-old Renske Hekman, from Baflo, Netherlands, was brutally murdered by her boyfriend, Alasam Samaria, who had picked up a fire extinguisher in the hall of her apartment and beaten Renske to death. He then shot a police officer dead.

Renske's father, Eddy Hekman and his daughter's killer, Alasam Samaria, have, in a remarkable twist of fate, now joined forces and wrote a book together. The book, Een coupé verder: over het drama van Baflo, wat eraan voorafging en wat erop volgde (The tragedy of Baflo, what preceded it and what followed), highlights Samaria's use of Paxil, particularly on the day he murdered, or was induced by Paxil to murder, Renske.

The book shows how on April 13, 2011, Samaria's psychiatrist tripled the dose of Paxil. At the scene of the crime police said of Samaria that he looked like "a zombie with empty eyes."

Just as in the Dolin Vs. GSK trial, evidence was shown how Stewart acted out of character. He had no previous history of wanting to kill himself. Paxil, like a lot of other SSRIs, can induce psychosis and consumers can, at times, feel not only suicidal but homicidal too.

PAXIL Death four, five, six and seven

In 1998, the town of Gillette, Wyoming, became infamous for all the wrong reasons.

Donald Schell (60) shot to death his family members, Rita Schell, Deborah Tobin, and Alyssa Tobin, before turning the gun on himself. Nobody knew, at the time, why such a loving man would carry out such a heinous crime.

Step forward surviving son-in-law, Tim Tobin, who brought a wrongful death lawsuit against Glaxo because Donald Schell was, basically, 'normal' before he started taking Glaxo's wonder drug, Paxil. The jury in the Tobin v SmithKline Beecham (SKB) trial concluded that Paxil could cause someone to carry out suicide or homicide and that the drug was in fact a proximate cause of the deaths in this case. Glaxo were fined around $6.4 million.

The Tobin verdict - Click to enlarge

At the time of the verdict, Charles F. Preuss, a lawyer for the manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, said the verdict was "a surprise." He added, ''This issue was raised in the early 90's, and since that time all the scientific articles have concluded that these antidepressants do not cause suicide or homicide or suicidal thoughts,''